Airport security checkpoints have been the end of the line since soon after the 9/11 attacks for most friends and relatives who want to see off departing passengers. That is changing at some U.S. airports.
The Transportation Security Administration is allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without tickets to pass through security and enter gate areas, reviving a tradition that largely disappeared after the attacks 25 years ago this week.
The program, called Gateside by TSA PreCheck" is free, but interested members must apply online one to three days before their planned visits and receive approval before going to the airport. If approved, they can enter security using a TSA PreCheck lane with an acceptable form of identification. The passes are valid for one calendar day, but reentries are allowed on that day.
This is technically not new, several airports already have their own version that doesn’t require tsa pre or a 3 day advance notice.
AFAIK DTW was the first, and they now allow you to print an access pass right at the terminal entrance so you can go through security as a non passenger.
Also to the comments complaining about long lines and traffic, that just means your airport sucks lol. ATL and ORD have some of the most horrendous pedestrian design and understaffed sections in the world. They aren’t 3 hour line busy because of the sheer volume, they just already sucked total garbage at handling that volume.
Git gud
DTW had some very weird roles at the beginning, I think it’s easier now.
When my father traveled I applied and they told me to come to the “office” at 9am on the day of the flight to verify my docs and pick up the pass, but the flight was at 7am. I called and told them about the flight time and told me they could not issue it a day prior and recommended to change my father’s flight…